cloner system using ultrasonic mister

Imaulle

Well-Known Member
just bought one of these for $85 to be used strictly for rooting clones.



after doing some reading these are some foreseen problems:

1. ultrasonic mister generates heat (I will try different on/off cycles to control this, 15 on / 5 off etc)
2. salts can build up and clog the vibrating discs (will be using 0 ppm water)
3. water level probelms (will use included water buoy for optimal fogger depth)


I'm thinking it's going to work perfect, but I'd like to get input from others.


here is a video with a fogger with 10 jets instead of the 3 I got, just to show how much fog it actually creates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-7miu8a0uM
 

Imaulle

Well-Known Member
anyone think this will create too much moisture for the clone? I'll have to set up a timer right? or would it be okay if the cuttings were covered in the fog 24/7? lol
 

pp15dodo

Active Member
IMO the ultrasonic foggers clog up too much for me, having to deal with changing the discs out all the time is a PITA. Its also hard to get the fog to the root zones if you are using a deeper container. The fog tends to sink down to the bottom. I've also heard arguments about how some micro nutrients are too heavy to properly mix into the fog and that they can actually be destroyed by the ultra sonic discs (but shouldn't be an issue with clones if using pure h20). I've also heard that the atomizers can kill beneficial micros. Good luck with your experiment.
 

Imaulle

Well-Known Member
well I'm strictly going to be using it for clones, once they have good roots I will transplant them to soil. I'd hope the water would stay pretty clean just rooting clones? :-|
 

NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
IMO the ultrasonic foggers clog up too much for me, having to deal with changing the discs out all the time is a PITA. Its also hard to get the fog to the root zones if you are using a deeper container. The fog tends to sink down to the bottom. I've also heard arguments about how some micro nutrients are too heavy to properly mix into the fog and that they can actually be destroyed by the ultra sonic discs (but shouldn't be an issue with clones if using pure h20). I've also heard that the atomizers can kill beneficial micros. Good luck with your experiment.
As long as you get the teflon coated ceramic disc's in your fogger they don't clog or even get that dirty. A quick wipe with your finder will usually clear anything that manages to stick to the disc's. I've ran multiple cycles with the same set of disc's and replacements are cheap and easy to replace.

As far as the fog sinking to the bottom; this only happens if you fogger is too small for the chamber you have them in. Larger or additional foggers tend to solve the problem pretty fast. :peace:
 

Imaulle

Well-Known Member
I've seen the roots that can come from using a system like this... I think it will pay off, just need to stick with it work out any kinks

good strong roots = a great plant !
 

pp15dodo

Active Member
Tell me if it works because I've got a bunch of those laying around . . .
Have you used the foggers you have lying around? Did they work for you? I tried mine and they didn't work for me. Anyway buying more foggers will not increase the optimal zone of the fog. Imaulle has the right idea, a float is need. But buying more equipment totally goes against my model of K.I.S.S. A pump and sprayers work best for me.

Imaulle- Have you gotten your set up running yet? Post pics and reviews for us if you did. Thanx
 

Sambiala

Member
Sorry to revive an older post but have you got your mister/fogger cloner up and going yet Imaulle? I started one off a few weeks ago and it's going great! Easiest cloner I have ever made.
A few bugs I ironed out with mine which might help others...

- Definitely use the teflon discs or RO'd water, the discs do clog after a few weeks or so depending on your nute level but a little metho on a cotton bud cleans it quick without removing the disc.
- Temperature can be an issue, the foggers create a fair bit of heat. Use a larger res, I ended up using a 40 litre/10 gal res with a water heater. Under half that size and the temps got too high.
- As far as the mist sitting low, this is dependent on the water temp and/or grow room temp, if it's colder inside the res then obviously hot air rises and the mist sits like a blanket close to the water surface. Increase the temp of the water to the same or slightly more than the room temp and the mist floats around everywhere – hence the use of water heater.
- You will need a floater of some sort for the mister, I used some styrofoam sheet and a 3" grow basket mounted in it, works fine.
They do use a lot of power however, I’m running 2 of them so far which is around 480 watts total. Water and air pumps don’t even come close to this – that’s an extra grow light worth! I’m now running mine 5 mins on, 45 off which seems to keep my res mostly full of mist, frequency is dependent on res size, water temp and area in the res above the water level so you will need to test it out first.
 
I built one of these to the exact specs, and lost all of two batches of clones.
The first batch I had to fix the mister to the center of the bucket; solved that but the next batch died also; and never developed any roots. I since have returned to cloning in soil; but my new secret is Foliar spraying done 4x per day first day and 3x per day for another 4-5 days and daily thereafter. I also do foilar spraying to all of my plants daily now and have the greenest, healthy plants I have ever grown. Do yourself a favor; Check out Foliar Feeding; it's changed my growing.
 
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